3 DAYS

St Polten
City Break

Day 1. Arrival & Baroque City

Arrive in St Pölten — the capital of Lower Austria, a Baroque city on the Traisen river with an extraordinarily rich collection of Baroque art and architecture, undervalued as a destination despite its magnificent historic centre. Explore the astonishing Rathausplatz — one of the finest Baroque squares in Lower Austria, ringed by extraordinary Baroque facades, with the Institut der Englischen Fräulein (1706) and the Franziskanerkirche. Visit the magnificent Cathedral (Dom) — a masterpiece of Baroque interior decoration (Jakob Prandtauer, 1722). Explore the Landhausviertel — the new governmental quarter of Lower Austria with its extraordinary contemporary architecture by Hans Hollein (Shedhalle) and the remarkable Festspielhaus (Festival House). Overnight in St Pölten.

Day 2. Museum District & Pielach Valley

After breakfast, visit the extraordinary Landesmuseum Niederösterreich — one of Austria’s most modern and comprehensive regional museums, with outstanding collections of Lower Austrian natural history, archaeology and art. Afternoon excursion into the beautiful Pielach valley — the ‘Valley of Our Lady of the Pearls’, with its pilgrimage church of Mariazell and the charming small towns of the wooded pre-Alpine hills. Overnight in St Pölten.

Day 3. Traismauer & Departure

Morning visit to Traismauer — a perfectly preserved Roman garrison town (Augustiana) with the remarkable St Pancraz Church (one of the oldest in Austria, 5th century), the Roman gateway and the charming market square. Transfer to St Pölten Hauptbahnhof for train connections to Vienna or Linz.

Must see

ATTRACTIONS

Options

ACCOMMODATIONS

St Polten

★★★★★

Hotel Metropol St Pölten
Stadthotel St Pölten
arte Hotel St. Pölten

★★★★

ibis Styles St. Pölten City
Hotel Daniela St Pölten
Cityhotel Römerstadt

★★★

ibis St. Pölten City
Hotel Aviano St Pölten
Hotel Eichenhain St Pölten

Must try

FOOD

Baked Carp

A highly traditional dish in St Poulten and surrounding area; fillets of fresh local carp sourced from local waterways are breaded and fried until golden and crispy; usually served with Austrian potato salad, lemon wedges and creamed horseradish.

Sauerbraten

A traditional roast dish; meat, usually beef or veal, is marinated in a mixture of wine, herbs, spices and seasonings and then roasted; typically accompanied by a heavy gravy from the roasting and served with potato pancakes, potato dumplings or Spatzle.

Apricot Dumplings

A much-loved Austrian dessert; made with a light dough sliced and shaped into dumplings around single apricots, which are then boiled in water and while still hot, coated in buttered breadcrumbs flavored with powdered cinnamon; served with caster sugar or drizzled with melted butter.